


The Changes They Stir

by Fetching_Trekky



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 as Family (Naruto), Gen, possible pairings include kakanaru or none for the most part, will add tags as they go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fetching_Trekky/pseuds/Fetching_Trekky
Summary: Changes happen in a number of ways. This is the story of how one bond, formed before all others, could impact a child's life. And a child's future.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 13





	The Changes They Stir

HELLO WORLD. It's been a while....So, this is a new fic. It has been about 4 or 5 years since I've posted anything on here, and I haven't written often within that time. I have a few things in my computer that I may post that I wrote during this time, but maybe not. Anyway. This is new.  
Wrote it today, sudden inspiration. 

I want to be honest before I start this. 

I was never fond of Sakura. Not really of Sasuke either for that matter, but that's for later. I have read and enjoyed many Sakura-bashing stories in my life.  
With all that being said. This is NOT one of those stories. For the most part this is full AU from the get go. 

Sakura will not be bashed by me in this fic. Period. When she was a kid I found her extremely annoying. And I didn't read/watch the series past (spoiler alert) Jiraiya dying. I was upset and emotion, but I was also current, and I left the gap too long to really want to pick up from there. I started reading the Naruto fanfiction instead and once I do that it is really hard for me to resume. Just know she will not be bashed. I HAVE RAMBLED ENOUGH. 

End A/N 

They were picking on her again. 

"Big forehead," they laughed as though it was new, and not something they taunted on the regular.

"Thinks she's so smart, 'Pick me, pick me Sensei'" one jeers.

"I don't do that," the little girl whisper-yells to them through the lump in her throat. Water pooling in her eyes, blurring the glare she aims towards them. 

"Might as well, Baka."

"Baka!"

"Baka!"

"STOP IT!"

The little girl's head shoots up.

"Leave her alone!"

A little boy with golden hair yells, pointing at the boys that are at least three inches taller than the girl they are picking on, and about five inches taller than the boy interrupting. The girls stomach knots up.

~ "He's just a kid, what does he think he can do." She worried. Expecting the mean older boys to turn on the kid too. 

"Who do you think you are , ki-" 

He's interrupted by his suddenly pale friend pulling his arm away.

"Kenta, it's the demon brat,"

The color falls from all of their faces as they look at the boy in disgust, barely disguising their sudden fear. 

"Wh-Whatever brat! I-It's too much t-trouble to deal with a bunch of kids anyway. Let's go, guys," the supposed leader of the group says hurriedly. 

"Are you okay?" The boy asks hesitantly once they leave, still a good two meters away. 

"I'm fine, kid," she says, harshly rubbing at her eyes.

"I'm not a kid! I'm five!" He says indignantly, scowl sliding onto his face like a particularly well worn mask. 

The girl blinks in surprise. She thought he was younger than her. 

"Me too," she says, interrupting what was looking to become a pretty big rant.

It's awkward for a few seconds. 

"Why were they picking on you?" The blonde boy asks, blue eyes curious, if tone hesitant. 

She considers not answering but feels like she at least owes him that for stepping in before she really started to cry, or got angry enough to use the words her mama always hit her papa for using in front of her. (She knew they were bad words, but her papa only used them when he was really upset at one of the other market vendors, or if he was really mad in general. And it seemed to help him...that is until her mama swatted him in the back of the head with a magazine...which she always seemed to have on hand and well within reach.)

"I'm smart...and I get good grades at the elementary school in the civilian district. The teachers have recommended I attend the shinobi academy this fall and my parents agreed once I told them I would like to. Those boys were older civilian kids. My neighbor’s son and his friends. My parents were pretty...proud about my grades and the recommendation."

"That's stupid!"

"What!" She said getting angry.

"They shouldn't pick on you because you’re smarter than them. They pick on you, and it makes them look like even bigger bastards, believe it!"

She calmed down, once she made sure he wasn't calling her stupid. It was silent for a minute, but not as awkward as it was before. 

"You're not supposed to say that word. Mama says that's a bad word and hits Papa if he uses it."

"Well they are! And how can a word be bad? People use that word all the time!" 

She nodded, though hesitant that her mother was gonna pop out of the bushes for agreeing with that statement. It was silent for a little while, the girl sitting on the grass waiting for a little while so her eyes wouldn't be red before she went home. The boy sat as well, though still at least two yards away. 

"Why did they call you a demon brat?" She asked before she realized her mouth opened. 

When he didn't answer immediately, she started berating herself for her curiosity. She looked up when she heard his voice, almost missing the answer for how faint his voice was. 

"I don't know." He looked sad, then. The saddest she had ever seen anyone look before. He looked like she had seen others when they got a bad bruise, or when her mama accidentally cut herself in the kitchen, except worse, because it wasn't over in a few seconds.

It looked as though the expression was something even more at home than the scowl on his face from earlier, and she felt a squeeze in her chest that ached. 

"They always call me that." He answered, suddenly looking up at the sky. The girl could suddenly sense that HE was trying not to cry too. 

"Those boys?" She asked, voice softer than she expected of herself.

"I guess they do too. I've never seen them before."

"Who is ‘they’, then?" She asked, confused. 

"Everyone. Anyone. Only Ji-chan doesn't. Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan don't either. But that’s it."

"But why?" She asks, upset. 

"I don't know!" He starts to yell, his voice breaking at the end.

"Well that's even more stupid!" She says, angry on his behalf. 

"Yeah." He suddenly agrees, face again showing a scowl, but not at anyone in particular this time. 

Again, it is silent for a few minutes. 

"I'm going to be a shinobi too! I'm going to be hokage, believe it! Then no one will call me demon and no one can bully anyone!" The boy suddenly bursts up, standing with his arms in the air, fists pointed at the sky like he will fight the gods to do it. 

The girl laughs and gets up as well. 

"That sounds like a plan!" 

The boy turns to her and his smile makes her warm, like the hugs her mama and papa give her when she has a bad dream. 

Smiling at eachother, the girl finally looks at the sky the boy was threatening to fight just a moment before. 

"Oh! It's getting late! I need to get home before Mama worries."

The boy’s smile starts to fade, and in a few seconds the scowl is back. 

"Yeah, go home before your mom starts to worry. You don't need to be outside this late in the afternoon." He almost seems to deflate. 

"Well you need to get home safe too." She says quickly. Again worried about how quick his good cheer is erased. His scowl softens and he smiles, smaller this time. It almost looks surprised. 

"Yeah...I need to go too. Maybe we will see eachother again sometime...I mean before classes start this fall. I will be going into the same classes as you!" 

"Oh! That's cool then! I'll recognise someone there."

"Yep!" He paused, before smiling again, though this time it looked a bit too big for his face. "Well...I'll see you!" 

He turned to start walking away before she noticed and he was a few meters away by the time she overcame the shock of his abrupt departure. 

"Wait!" She called. 

"What?" He asked, turning around. He seemed almost stiff, as if bracing himself for a fall. 

"I don't have any friends." She suddenly admitted. 

He looked up surprised. 

"I don't either." He said after a few moments of looking at her. 

"Do you want to? Have a friend that is..." She hesitantly asked, looking at the ground. It was silent for a few moments and she almost started to turn to run away when she heard his voice.

"You...you want to be my friend?" He asked. And she looked up at him. 

She swore his face would be imprinted in her mind forever from that moment onward. His eyes were shining, looking a little wet around the edges, not that she would point it out. His mouth was open slightly as though shocked before he closed it and she saw him swallow. He looked a little heartbroken, or at least a little like what her neighbor's teenage daughter looked like when her boyfriend broke up with her. Her mama said she was heartbroken. 

"Yes." She said, again surprised by how strong her voice had become on that word. 

Time seemed to stop before she was blinded by the sun. Or at least by the little boy’s smile, that was maybe even brighter than the sun. 

"Okay!" He cheered, running over to her.

She startled backwards a little in surprise, but didn't move further away.

"We'll be best friends, believe it!"

"Alright, sounds good!" She nodded once, suddenly smiling as well. 

They stood there, smiling at each other before she remembered once more that she needed to be home soon, before it got dark. 

"I have to go, but will you meet me here tomorrow? At 4:30? I can come right after school if I bring my homework." She asked 

"Yeah! I can do that!"

She was sure his face was stuck on that smile. 

"Okay, agreed." She nodded, smiling before she turned to walk out of the empty park toward her house. 

"Hey, wait! What's your name?" She heard him call from behind her.

She smacked her forehead as she turned around. Duh, she was supposed to know his name too if they were going to be friends. 

"It's Sakura!" She turned around, still walking backwards 'cause she REALLY had to go. 

"Mine's Naruto!" 

"Nice to meet you!" She called back, waving, because that was what her mother taught her to do. 

"Nice to meet you, too!" He yelled back, waving with his whole body, grinning up a storm. 

"Be careful on the way home!" He yelled to her. 

"I will! You too!" She yelled back, already turning back around to start running back to her house.

Running through the streets of her neighborhood, towards her home, she made it in just before the street lights started to turn on, the sky a blur of light pinks and orange. 

"Sakura?" She heard her mom call from the kitchen. "Is that you?" 

"Yes, Mama! It's me! Tadaima!"

"Okaeri!" 

-

At dinner that night her papa asked what she got up to today. 

She answered. 

"I made a friend." 

Her parents were pleased to hear that and they continued their earlier conversation, reassured that their daughter was going to be fine after finally making a friend. 

They didn't ask who it was, and she didn't tell. 

And everything was great.


End file.
